Prior News

Prior News & Reviews

December 2005

December 31, 2005 The Cult rumors <> Jim at Chateau Marmont <> another Doors mash-up <> The Cult gets management deal

Ian Astbury is rumored to be working with Billy Duffy on some projects as The Cult, specifically, special product reissues and some limited gigs in 2006. This was reported on www.Blabbermouth.com read story

Jim Morrison's exploits at the Chateau Marmont are included in a spread about that famous Hollywood hotel in the magazine "Look." The story is about the Chateau Marmont's checkered past, and includes a scale drawing of the grounds with call-outs as to what happened where, including little drawings of the people mentioned. It says that Jim was one of their most notorious rock star guests, alluded to a mysterious incident with bloody sheets, and has a small drawing of Jim dangling out of one of the windows. (thanks, Beverly)

Love Me Two Times has been blended with a song from the Pussycat Dolls to create a new mash-up by ToTom. To listen, go to http://bastardpetsounds.free.fr/mashup/Pussycat_Doors.mp3 and if that fails, try http://www.boototom.info/mashup/Pussycat_Doors.mp3 (thanks, Tom)

Fans of The Cult must be getting ready for a great new year! The earlier story on www.blabbermouth.com said that Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy are working together on some projects as The Cult. An updated story on that site now says that Ian and Billy have inked a management deal with Tom Vitorino. Anyone reading news on this site already knows that Tom Vitorino manages Riders On The Storm (formerly, The Doors of the 21st Century.) Congratulations to all parties for starting the new year off with some great news. Ian has earned lots of new fans over the last three years, and I count myself as one of them. read story

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December 30, 2005 Clara Morrison R.I.P.

Clara Morrison, mother to Jim, Anne and Andy, passed away yesterday, December 29th. According to the posting on the Lizard Lounge by Doors Management, private services are being planned and the family has requested that no flowers, cards, or messages be sent. The family are all together in Coronado, southern California. I feel very honored that I became acquainted with the Morrison family during the Doors trial in the summer of 2004. Mrs. Morrison was very sweet and I enjoyed a number of conversations with her. She had beautiful long, pure white hair that she wore in a bun. She was amused at my dedication in attending the trial daily and reporting it on this website. She always smiled and waved hello. My heart goes out to the Morrison family. They are fortunate that they had so many years to be with her. It is never easy to lose a loved one; it is even harder when it occurs during a season that is meant to be joyous. R.I.P., Mrs. Morrison (thanks, Michael)

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December 29, 2005 update on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibit <> Beautreillis comic book <> old record with Jim-titled song

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland currently has a Jim Morrison exhibit in rotation, as reported by Michael early this month. Another fan was there this week and reported on some additional items on exhibit. There are about 14 family photos of Jim, ranging from 1943 to 1961. Some of the photos were of Jim in his mother's arms, on the beach, etc. In the lower entrance there is a new exhibit, a wall of photos commemorating the hall being open for 10 years. There is a photo of Ray and Michael McClure viewing the Morrison exhibit taken in 1996 when they were in town to perform at the Rock Hall. There is a letter to Bob Greene (Doors business manager at the time) from Jim in Paris, requesting Bob to tie up some loose ends and requesting money or credit cards, with Pam's name to be included on the credit cards. Jim also wanted to know something about the Doors agreement ... no way of knowing what he was thinking about with that question. (thanks, Jackie)

The former owner of the Beautreillis, the restaurant on rue Beautreillis which was directly across the street from the Paris apartment where Jim died, has published a comic book. It's probably not proper to call it a comic book, but you get the picture. Although I do not read French, I understand this is about adventures of being directly across the street from such a famous address and fan destination, where Jim and Pam used to visit regularly. To see the artwork and more information, go here (thanks, Gilles)

"Jim Morrison" is the title of track #8 on the 1994 debut album 'Preferred Him in the Smiths' from an English indie band called The Eye Dance. This came to my attention from a friend in France, who just got it from another collector. For more info, go to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007YRJ/qid%3D1135873858/203-9351572-2031151 (thanks, Gilles)

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December 28, 2005 "giving it a rest" <> Riders will tour Europe in April <> proposed Morrison library exhibit

In the spirit of 'giving it a rest' and wanting to start the new year off with some positive vibes, I have removed the link to Alex's petition that was featured at the top of this home page. It can still be accessed at its url at: http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?DoorsVh1&301 if you feel the need. I've spoken my mind a lot on this website this year, and abandoned the neutrality I once prided myself on. My mission going into 2006 is to once again be positive about The Doors, The Doors of the 21st Century, Riders On The Storm, individual band members and management, and the music that I love so much. Thank you.

Good news is in store for Riders On The Storm fans. An April 2006 tour is in the works. Shows in Norway and Ireland have been confirmed. Spain and Portugal as well and many other countries, are all in the planning stages and will be announced soon.

A permanent Jim Morrison library exhibit is under consideration in Clearwater, Florida. The exhibit would be in the library's special collections room, in hopes that Morrison's fame as a cult hero might spark a new generation of young readers. This idea began after Clearwater Library officials learned of Jim's affinity for the library in a September story about his Clearwater roots and his relationship with then-girlfriend Mary Werbelow. read it

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December 27, 2005 Ask Ray 10 Questions

You can 'ask Ray Manzarek 10 Questions' on MSNBC.com ... click on each question and see a video of Ray playing and answering. The setting is apparently The Doors Music Company offices in West Hollywood. Go to: http://msnbc.com/modules/take3/dec/default.htm?s=4&p=2 (thanks, Lynne)

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December 24, 2005 website for Decades Rock Live <> Ray on '04 trip-hop CD

There is a website with photos from the never-to-be-seen 'Tribute To The Doors' VH1 Decades Rock Live! show (thanks again, John). This link was sent to me from someone associated with the program. The link also has photos and bios of the other performers on that show. (thanks, Dave) Check it out at: http://www.decadesrocklive.com/artists/thedoors.php

Ray Manzarek appears on two songs from U.K. trip-hop band Earthling released last year, titled "humandust." The two songs are 'Saturated' and 'An Angel Comes To Babylon.' Check it out at www.discograph.com #6112232 (thanks, Gilles)

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December 21, 2005 Ray interview <> Riders to Norway?? <> Doors BBC docu on-line

Ray Manzarek gave an entertaining on-line interview. His tongue was planted firmly in cheek for a lot of it. Densmore supporters should probably not read this! read it

This news is unconfirmed by official announcement: a fan from Norway has written me that Riders On The Storm are reported to be playing a rock festival in Haugesund, Norway on April 7, 2006. Jethro Tull and Thin Lizzy are also scheduled to play, as well. More details if & when this is confirmed. (thanks, John)

An on-line BBC Radio documentary about The Doors titled 'Break On Through' is available to listen to on-line ... but I have been warned that it may be there for only a few more days. To listen, go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/documentaries/#doors (thanks Mike, John, & Matt)

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December 19, 2005 Vancouver pre-show story <> Fillmore media review

Tonight's show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada wraps the last of five consecutive nights for Riders On The Storm. A preview story in today's Vancouver Province has a nice, defiant ring to its title: "Wounds licked, name changed, they're back." read it

Last Thursday was the start of that five-night run which started at The Fillmore in San Francisco for Riders On The Storm. A glowing and detailed review of that show was in today's Santa Cruz Sentinel. (thanks, yeradaisy) read it

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December 18, 2005 Fillmore show review <> Reno show <> Ray interview <> Jim mentioned in new book <> Ian's rattle to be returned <> The Doors in American Airlines December magazine

Riders On The Storm played to a sold-out crowd on Thursday night at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Their 16-song set was just over two hours long and included one of their new songs, Eagle In The Whirlpool. Ty was playing on a beautiful new set of DW drums in champagne sparkle. There was some new Riders On The Storm merchandise for sale featuring their new logo. The band were absolutely ebullient on-stage, clearly having a lot of fun and happy to be back on the road playing to the appreciative fans. read about it

Riders On The Storm played to a sold-out crowd again the next night in Reno, Nevada. Family commitments prevented me from going to that show, but I understand I missed a helluva night. The band performed both Cops Talk and Eagle In The Whirlpool. A huge crowd swarmed onstage during Light My Fire, but when the dust settled, a fan had stolen one of Ian's instruments. I'm not sure if it was a maraca or rattle, but it was old and was very special to him. PLEASE ... if anyone can provide information about the theft of that item from the stage or can help get it returned to Ian, please contact me @ idadoorsfan@yahoo.com and I'll put you in touch with the right people.

Riders On The Storm will wrap up this short tour on Monday night at the Commodore in Vancouver, British Columbia. To read an interview with Ray Manzarek published as a preview to the show, go here

"Break On Through: The Story of the Doors" is a program scheduled to air at 8:30 tonight on BBC Radio 2. It is described as an examination of the importance and influences of one of the most enduring bands of the 1960s - The Doors - who 40 years ago began to combine poetry and a new unique sound. (thanks, Matt) For more info, go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio2_aod.shtml?radio2/r2_doors

Jim Morrison is mentioned in a new book titled: Las Vegas Babylon: True Tales of Glitter, Glamour and Greed by Jeff Burbank. "This book concentrates on high profile mobsters, movie stars, entertainers, casino owners, incidents and politicians in 32 juicy chapters. Well-illustrated and with a nine-page detailed index, it'll be an eye-opener for those unaware of Las Vegas' colorful, unorthodox history. Names named include Bugsy Siegel, Moe Dalitz, Marilyn Monroe, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, Jayne Mansfield, John F. Kennedy, Lenny Bruce, Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Sonny Liston, Phyllis McGuire, Harry Reid, Kirk Kerkorian, Benny Binion, Steve Wynn." I have not seen this book and have no idea what circumstance earned Jim an inclusion.

Ian Astbury's turtle rattle that was stolen by an overzealous fan during the stage rush on Friday night in Reno is going to be returned. The guilt-ridden fan has contacted Ray's webmaster, who is in the process of getting it returned to Ian. Thank you to that honest fan.

The Doors are featured in a 3/4 page photo in the December American Airlines onboard magazine, AAttractions. Roadhouse Blues is the first selection in 'Ode To The Road,' one of the listening selections on their flights. (thanks, Bobbie & Ed)

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December 15, 2005 new Robby Krieger website

Later tonight, at about the same time as Robby Krieger and Riders On The Storm take the stage at the sold-out show at the Fillmore in San Francisco, a new website for Robby will go live. So at about 8:30 tonight, check out the new www.RobbyKrieger.com and watch for lots of new stuff to be added to it.

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December 14, 2005 Fillmore show is sold out

Riders On The Storm play the Fillmore in San Francisco tomorrow night. That show is sold out, so congratulations to all of us lucky fans who are going to be at the show. Watch for a write-up about the concert to follow within a few days.

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December 13, 2005 Doors music in skate routine <> Bill Graham archives <> India story about Jim

Peace Frog was the music used by #1 Canadian skater Kurt Browning to perform his routine to on the World Team Challenge on TSN over the weekend. (thanks, Joe)

'Treasure Trove Contains Rare Rock Recordings' is the title of a story in today's Wall Street Journal about all manner of wonderful rock recordings and memorabilia that was purchased several years ago. read it

'The Lizard King Without The Poetry' is the title of a story about Jim Morrison in an on-line story from India. read it

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December 11, 2005 Riders On The Storm in Honolulu <> John statement on his forum <> Rick and The Ravens remembrance <> Henry Diltz exhibit in Tokyo

Riders On The Storm played their first show following a hiatus since August 30th. The show, in conjunction with and open only to entrants in the Honolulu Marathon, took place on Thursday night at the Waikiki Shell before an audience of 18,000. If anyone has a set list, please send it along. To read a brief review, go here (thanks, Mary-Beth)

John Densmore posted a statement on his website forum yesterday regarding his position about the VH1 Decades Rock Live "A Tribute To The Doors" filmed in Atlantic City in August. John's rationale is heavy on legalities and totally disregards the pleas of the fans. He includes a statement that the Estates and he have agreed to sync rights for a future Riders On The Storm performance. (thanks, Mary-Beth) read statement

Rick and The Ravens at the Turkey Joint West were remembered in a story reminiscing about long-gone classic L.A. bars in the current issue of L. A. City Beat. read it

Henry Diltz's The Morrison Hotel Gallery is staging an exhibit of classic rock photography in Tokyo, Japan this month. read more

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December 8, 2005 birthday remembrance for Jim <> new website coming for Robby <> Roadhouse Blues covered by Echo & the Bunnymen

Jim Morrison would have turned 62 today. Fans can only speculate how Jim would feel about the lawsuits and ugliness that have resulted from the desire of Ray and Robby to keep the music of The Doors alive and tangible for new generations of fans, including countries where the band never toured with Jim. John's lawsuit against them drew a line in the sand, and in effect forced fans to take sides in the ugly battles that have ensued. It's hard to believe that Jim would have wanted to be considered an anachronism. Sadly, we'll never know for sure.

Robby Krieger will soon have a new website. Stay tuned for the announcement when it goes live.

Roadhouse Blues was covered in the Echo & The Bunnymen show last night at the Anaheim House of Blues show. It was a good show, but nowhere near as thrilling as the April 1988 show when Ray Manzarek joined them onstage at Universal Amphitheater to play People Are Strange. I understand they also performed Roadhouse Blues the night before at the Hollywood House of Blues ... they have been including it in a lot of shows on this tour.

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December 7, 2005 Ray in a video clip <> Riders On The Storm new logo winners <> Tribaljazz album release

Ray Manzarek appears in a video clip talking about The Doors Live In Philly on www.ultimate-guitar.com To see the clip, go here

The contest to design a new logo for Riders On The Storm has ended and the winning entries were announced on www.raymanzarek.com yesterday. The winning entries were submitted by Graham Smith and TOL23Design. To see the winning logo designs, go to: http://www.raymanzarek.com/logowinners2.html

John Densmore's long-delayed Tribaljazz album is now slated for a spring release from Hidden Beach, according to an on-line story.

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December 5, 2005 Steve Bach & Ty Dennis playing together <> Angelo Barbera's band appearances

The Steve Bach Band is playing on Tuesday night, December 6 at La Ve Lee in Studio City, California. Steve Bach was the keyboard player for the Robby Krieger Band until late 2002, when Robby, Ray and Ian joined forces to play a pair of shows for the Harley-Davidson 100th anniversary celebration ... and the rest is history. Anyway, Ty Dennis was the drummer in that same Robby Krieger Band before he replaced Stewart Copeland in The Doors of the 21st Century, which everyone knows is now Riders On The Storm. Ty is going to be joining the Steve Bach Band for this show, and rumor has it that a certain guitar player who has played with both of those musicians may be stopping by to sit in with them. La Ve Lee is at 12514 Ventura Blvd. Studio City. For more info on the club, call 818-980-8258 or visit their website at http://www.laveleejazzclub.com/calendar.shtml (thanks, Steve)

And speaking of members of the Robby Krieger Band and The Doors of the 21st Century ... Angelo Barbera was the bass player in the Robby Krieger Band and then The Doors of the 21st Century until late last year. Angelo's current band is i-94, and they have two L.A. area shows coming up. i-94 will be playing an acoustic show at Molly Malone's on Sunday, December 11th at 9:00 p.m. They play a full electric show on Saturday, December 17th at 9:00 p.m. at the Dragonfly.

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December 2, 2005 Morrison exhibit in Cleveland <> Blender Magazine list

Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has put the Jim Morrison exhibit back into rotation, according to a fan who was there a few weeks ago. The exhibit of Morrison family items I saw there in June 2003 was nowhere to be seen in May of this year. There is still no exhibit honoring The Doors. (thanks, Michael) read about exhibit items

Oliver Stone's 'The Doors' movie was voted #73 in Blender Magazine's November 2005 issue (cover: Natalie Portman) in their list of the top 100 rock movies. Spinal Tap was #1, and Saturday Night Fever was #2 on their list. The Woodstock movie was around #51. (thanks, Chris)

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December 1, 2005 the petition <> statement from Ray <> the time to hesitate is through

The originator of the petition has advised me that the original statements cannot be modified to include the latest despicable anti-Doors fan action by John Densmore, i.e., the denial of the sync licenses for the two planned DVD releases for the Japan and Buenos Aires shows by The Doors of the 21st Century. However, there is no reason that fans cannot express their outrage and indignation over this latest screw-over on that very same petition. The basic issues remain the same, and its scope can just be unofficially expanded to include these newest insults to the fans. (thanks, Alex)

Ray Manzarek told me the Argentina gig was a really great performance, full of passion and fire. He hopes the fans of The Doors can see Riders on the Storm really tear into the songs that Jim, Ray and Robby wrote, with Ian doing a great job fronting the band! (thanks, Ray)

The time to hesitate is through! It may not been in your budget or convenient to attend as many concerts of The Doors of the 21st Century and Riders On The Storm as you would have liked over the last 3 years. Many fans were undoubtedly counting on opportunities such as televised or DVD releases. It is now crystal-clear to all that the 'Drummer' and the 'Manager' are going to block every opportunity that fans thought they would have to experience the band, short of attending their live concerts. There are five shows coming up this month in the west. Hopefully 2006 will be filled with lots more. If you want to experience Robby and Ray and Ian ... and let's not forget Ty and Phil ... then buying a concert ticket and making the necessary travel appears to be the only way to do it.

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